Gemotions

Mark saw the email the moment it popped up: plagiarism. His heart sunk, but then he saw the student's name: Chloe. He’d seen how much she struggled with the English language, always trying hard, always trying. He remembered the times he'd helped her with her grammar, the slow, painstaking effort she put into her work.

He found her in the library, hunched over her laptop, tears silently tracking down her cheeks. He wanted to reach out, to reassure her. He approached her, careful not to startle her.

“Let’s go through this together,” he said quietly, pulling up a chair. He began to dissect the professor's allegations, his mind already formulating a plan. He felt a stirring of something akin to responsibility, a need to shield her from the injustice.